To open-wheel racing
source:
irl.racing-live.com
Since 1909, Firestone has been supplying tires for
competition in virtually all the top forms of auto racing, and this season the
company will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its return to open- wheel racing.
The first Firestone tires appeared in competition at the Indianapolis 300 on a
car driven by Barney Oldfield, and just two years later the company made history
when the inaugural Indianapolis 500 was won by Ray Harroun driving on Firestone
tires. In all, Firestone-equipped drivers have amassed 55 wins in the Indy 500
despite the tire maker's 20-year absence from the top forms of auto racing from
1975 to 1994.
The Firestone brand returned to the track at the 1995 Grand Prix of Miami on
March 5, 1995, quickly returning to form and re- establishing itself as the tire
of choice for some of the fastest and most competitive auto racers in the world.
Since then, Firestone-equipped drivers have collected 188 victories in major
open-wheel racing competition, and 14 series championships. Historically,
Firestone-equipped drivers have recorded 1,532 documented wins and 102 driver's
championships in major racing series through the 2004 racing season.
In 2004, Tony Kanaan became the most recent Firestone-equipped champion when,
en route to the Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series championship, he became
the first driver in major American motorsports history to complete every lap of
every race of the season.